


mementos of the past

by castielwholmes



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, cute fluffy storytelling, when the prompt is the past but u hate angst and love cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 03:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15306708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielwholmes/pseuds/castielwholmes
Summary: Arashi can’t help but smile at the sight of her best friend with her cat curled up in his lap. He’d been a little wary of Nyanko at first, but, well, he’d been the same about her. They’d warmed up to each other over time, and now she’s wondering if her daughter might prefer Mika over her when he comes over.





	mementos of the past

**Author's Note:**

> so it turns out adopting a cat from a shelter in japan is a lot different from in the united states but for the sake of this fic i'm ignoring that  
> please enjoy

“Naru-chan, yer cat really is a sweetheart, ain’t she?”

Arashi can’t help but smile at the sight of her best friend with her cat curled up in his lap. He’d been a little wary of Nyanko at first, but, well, he’d been the same about her. They’d warmed up to each other over time, and now she’s wondering if her daughter might prefer Mika over her when he comes over.

“She’s my Nyanko-chan, so of course she is. She takes after her mama,” she tells him proudly. She reaches over to scratch her between the ears. “Say, did I ever tell you about the day I brought her home?”

Mika shakes his head. “I don’t think so?”

“Okay, so, I think I was, like, 12 at the time? I had _finally_ convinced my parents to let me get a pet, so I was _really_ excited,” she tells him. “They thought I wanted to go to a pet store or something to get a kitten, but I’d just read something about how badly older cats in shelters need homes so I was, like, _so_ insistent on going there first.”

“Naru-chan’s always had a real soft heart, huh.” Mika grins, and Arashi feels heat growing on her cheeks.

“Oh, hush, you.” She knows she’s not doing a very good job of hiding how pleased she is, but she doesn’t care. “Anyway, we sent in the application and everything and then we finally got to go visit the shelter. There were so many cats there! I wanted to bring all of them home but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to give that many the proper care and attention. _Such_ a pity.” She frowns a bit at the memory. She hopes all the cats she’d seen had found lovely homes. “It was incredible, though. I’d never seen so many kinds of cats! There was even one with eyes like Mika-chan’s!”

For a moment he seems unsure what to do with that news, frozen in place while he tries to figure out whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Before he can say anything Arashi presses a finger to his lips.

“I know what you’re going to say. But that cat was _lovely_. And so are you. Do you understand?” He nods, and she brings her finger away. Nyanko makes a little “mmrrrp!” noise, not understanding why she had suddenly stopped being pet and deciding to voice her displeasure.

“Sorry,” he says, and whether it’s directed at Arashi or her cat she’s not sure. He resumes stroking the cat’s fur and is rewarded with a pleased chirp.

“Yes, yes, I was just getting to that, Nyanko,” she tells her. “Honestly, when I went there I thought there was no way I’d be able to find the right cat. But when I leaned over to get a better look at one of them, this little one reached up and tapped me right on the nose!” Arashi leans over and taps Nyanko’s nose for effect. “Like, I knew _right_ away that she was the one for me. I got to hold her and she snuggled right into my arms like she got the same feeling! And the rest was history. Now she’s the most spoiled little darling in the whole world, isn’t she?”

Nyanko, sprawled out in Mika’s lap while her head is tickled, doesn’t reply. But the cat tree and fluffy cat bed, as well as the hair scattered across Arashi’s bedsheets, make the answer clear.

Mika grins. “I’d love t’ be Naru-chan’s cat. She seems real happy with ya.”

“Well I’d most certainly hope so, considering how happy she makes me. There’s really nothing better than coming home at the end of the day to a little kitty like her.” Truly, after a long day with school and lessons and practices it’s very nice to know that someone’s waiting for her who just wants cuddles and food. “Well, I say little but she’s about eight years old right now. She’s a proper young lady!”

“Just like Naru-chan then. No wonder ya get along so well.” She reaches over again, but this time to pinch Mika’s cheek instead of petting her cat. “H-hey!”

“Mika-chan is _such_ a charmer.”

“Naru-chan, that’s embarrassing!”

“You’re my best friend, so you should be used to it though?” She taps his nose like she’d done to Nyanko earlier. “I’m no~t sorry. How can I be when you’re this cute? I can’t help but baby you.”

He looks away, embarrassed. “Well, I guess if it’s Naru-chan it’s alright.”

She laughs, and before long he’s laughing with her. A lot has changed since she brought her baby girl home, but all of it led up to moments like this.

Maybe Nyanko is a lucky charm, or something.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on twitter at @PALADLKNLGHTS  
> i'd love to see your kudos/comments if you liked it!


End file.
